Witching Hour
by gogo-girlie
Summary: New girl Jillian moves home to Forks where she meets Edward and the rest of the Cullens. He's worried about what he is while maybe he should be worried about what she is.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: A few things to know. This is my first Twilight fic so be patient with me. I own nothing belonging to Stephanie Meyers. I only claim to own the characters and storyline from my head. I made this with Bella in mind but the character became so OOC that I just created a new one based loosely off Bella, so please don't kill me for not having Edward and Bella together. I base chapters inspired by certain songs but its not a songfic, I'll post the songs so you can feel the same ambiance that I felt when writing it. Its rated M for language and adult situations later.

"Alright" by Lucy Nation.

Onto the fanfic.

*****

I gazed out the window, watching the trees blend together in the damp weather as the car moved swiftly down the highway towards my hometown of Forks. It seemed I had been away longer than nine years, but nine years was definitely more than long enough for me. I was eight when my mom Amy decided that she no longer loved my father Charlie and dragged me to San Diego. I loved the ocean, but not enough to ever really want to swim in it. That was all I had there of nature and it was an overpopulated nature at that with all the beachgoers taking up the spaces of sand. Up here in Washington was where I belonged. I had my ocean but so much more. I had the forest, the beach, all things nature, and enough privacy to be who I was. I thought it strange that for a small town that knew everyone's business, something's remained secret. Like the real reason I was taken to California. Oh, my mother being an air-head and fickle was part of it, but the other part had to do with my grandmother Evelyn. It was time for me to come "home" to her, for her to raise me for the path I was destined to walk. We pulled in front of the house suddenly and looking at my childhood home, I felt a calming peace settle on me. I could feel the pull of a soft smile on my lips as I gazed at the two-story house until Charlie's booming voice broke me out of my reverie.

"Home sweet home, eh girls?" he said as he grabbed the luggage from the back of the car. I reached in and grabbed my purse and overnight bag while Ginger began walking to the front door trying to stay dry in the light mist that almost never disappeared.

"You have a very lovely home Mr. Michaels. No wonder Lili missed it so much," Ginger said as she waited patiently for us to reach the porch and have Charlie let us in.

"Thank you very much Ginger. And please, call me Charlie," dad said turning the key and pushing the door open.

Ginger and I followed closely behind and I took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent that was somehow distinctly home. We followed Charlie up the stairs to our rooms. One bedroom one each side was for us with a bathroom to share. Charlie's room was located downstairs in the den turned bedroom with a new bathroom his buddies helped him build on slow fishing season. My room was the same one I had when younger, only now a bit more updated. The walls had been repainted a pale cream color that matched the light wood furniture and cream-colored linens that my mother Amy had sent up a few weeks ago. Charlie had set-up everything pending mine and Ginger's arrival besides our personal belongings still packed away in numerous boxes. I walked to the old rocking chair sitting by the window that looked onto the street and sat down wearily while Charlie carried Ginger's suitcases into her room after setting mine on my bed. I reached over to look at the tag on the new curtains hanging down in front of me. Charlie remembered to get flame –retardant ones installed. I couldn't decide if it was a good thing or bad thing that he remembered. I sat back in the chair bringing my knees up to my chest and fingered the pendant at my throat. Besides the rocking chair and antique travel trunk sitting at the foot of my bed, my necklace was the only thing I had left of my grandma Evelyn. There could be photos possibly in the trunk, but I wasn't planning on opening it up to find out anytime soon. I wasn't going near that thing till I absolutely had to. Most of my future's path my have been decided but not when it would start and I was putting that time off as far away as I could. I notice the mist become heavier like the sorrow in me and quickly took a deep breath to quell the feelings. Ginger bounded into my room a few moments later after Charlie had given her a small idea of where things were. Kitchen and breakfast nook down to the right, living room to the left, Charlie's room off the living room and then the forest beyond the backdoor, nothing to difficult.

"I can't believe your dad painted my room the red color I wanted. Very, very cool," she said as she flopped onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling grinning to herself. Her long black hair fanning behind her head and long legs dangling off the side of my bed. I lay sown next to her on my stomach and rested my chin on my folded hands.

"Aren't you nervous about school tomorrow?" I asked.

"Not really. Why, are you?"

"A little. I didn't have a lot of friends growing up here because of, you know, so I'm not going to know anyone but everyone's going to know me. All staring and stuff, I don't like it. Plus you're so gonna stick out. How come you're not nervous? What if I mess up?"

"I'm not nervous because you're not going to mess up Lili. You're going to be fine and if you feel out of control I'll be right there. And I'm excited about sticking out. Back home I was one of a million hot Hispanic girls, now I get to be the single hottie Latina," she replied giggling. I looked at her and started laughing to, my nerves relaxing once again.

I had always been jealous of Ginger for her dark skin, "mocha" she liked to say and midnight black hair that was perfectly straight and fell to the middle of her back. Her long legs that made her stand at 5'10" and curvy figure made her look more exotic. Ginger's perfect chocolate brown eyes completed the package, but like she said, going to Liberty High School back in San Diego, she was dark-haired beauty among many. I had been the one to stand out with my pale skin and mid-length auburn locks. I wasn't tall, standing only at 5'4" and more curves were those of any average seventeen year old. The one thing that people seemed to notice was my eyes. A perfect teal color of blue and green that would go to a steely gray at times, much like Ginger's going from chocolate to a dark maroon. People rarely saw the switch and if they did would convince themselves that they were imagining things.

Charlie announced pizza for dinner and by the time I came back upstairs afterwards, I wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of unpacking all the cardboard boxes littering my room. Sighing, I started with my suitcases and other clothing items I would need. I was no fashionista like my friend Ginger but I wasn't completely clueless. I was a jeans girl but had plenty of cute tops to look casual and cute at the same time so Ginger stayed off my back about being a fashion disaster. At least I could do one thing right. I moved on to the box marked "Desk Stuff" and began filling up the computer desk with all my papers and school supplies next to my laptop, praying thankfully to God that my dad had gotten a decent internet connection hooked up in mine and Ginger's rooms. I opened the box containing personal items for my dresser, a few picture frames, some small candles, and a wooden jewelry box that I didn't really need. I never wore jewelry on a regular basis so the only thing I kept in it was several pairs of earrings. The only real piece of jewelry I owned was the necklace currently on me that I never took off. Not since my thirteenth birthday when Grandma Evelyn gave it to me with the exception of last spring when she added to it. I looked at it in the mirror above my dresser and a small sadness filled me. It was a simple silver chain that held a flower pendant just below the hollow in my throat. Teardrops of different gems made up the petals. Diamond at the top, with a ruby, amethyst, emerald and sapphire completing the shape. Grandma had added the topaz earlier this spring to the very center where there had been a space. While I already knew what the other stones stood for, the golden topaz confused me. _You'll know in time_, she said when I asked what it meant. I ran my finger lightly over it before shrugging and moving onto unpacking the three boxes of books I had left. By ten o'clock I was done unpacking and ready to sleep for a thousand years. Ginger had unpacked long before me, and was already telling my dad goodnight and thanking him for the millionth time about letting her come to live with us. I came to my doorway to hug her goodnight. After her door closed, Charlie came over and pulled me in for a tight embrace.

"Its so good to have you back home Jill," he said quietly "I know you can't tell me everything right now and honestly I'm not sure I want to know everything but I'm here for you if you need me."

"Thanks dad," was all I could muster back. I closed the door behind him and crawled into bed. The mist outside was picking up to a light drizzle as I felt the sadness swell in me again at my dad's words. How was I supposed to tell my dad that the reason I can do the things I do was because I was a born witch? And not just any witch, a witch destined to be one of the most powerful in the world?


	2. Chapter 2: Today

A/N: Again, I own nothing except that which springs from my head. Reviews are loved along with helpful criticism. I did forget to mention, POV will switch between Edward and Jillian.

Songs for this chapter are "Today" by Smashing Pumpkins and "I Will Possess Your Hear" by Death Cab for Cutie.

**JPOV**

I woke to someone shaking the foot of my bed and sleepily kicked at whoever it was. Ginger giggled and made a comment about my needing a shower and hurrying so I don't miss breakfast. Grumbling I tossed my covers off me and made my way to the bathroom. The warm water felt good on my skin and the smell of my Cucumber Melon bath stuff helped make me feel refreshed. Stepping out, I walked into my room and glanced out the small slit in my curtains. Gray, cloudy but not as damp as yesterday as I decided on my dark skinny jeans and white short sleeved blouse. I would be fine in a sweatshirt so I didn't worry about it being to cold. It was still the middle of September and not so cold yet. I kept my hair up in the towel as I bounded down the stairs and into the small kitchen. Amy had tried painting it some bright yellow color to make it look more cheerful, but it only made it look worse in my opinion. Luckily, Charlie had replaced most the cabinets and put newer lighter colored ones in. I never did know how much Chief of Police made but my dad had nothing better to spend his money on until I came home. Ginger was sitting at the table with toast and coffee reading over the town's newspaper. As I gathered things for my bowl of cereal I looked out the window and noticed Charlie's cruiser was gone.

"He left us note on the fridge. I barely got up as he left," Ginger mumbled through her mouthful of toast. A post-it stuck to the fridge telling us to have a good day and that he'd see us at dinner. I smiled at it as I opened the refrigerator to get the milk.

"I doubt there's anything that interesting going on in town. It's not like there's car chases on the highways out here almost non-stop," I said as I sat at the table across from her.

"Actually, I was hoping that we'd be the cover story. You know, 'long-lost Michaels daughter returns with cabana girl in tow'. But we don't even get a two line blip on the last page. I'm so disappointed," she said mockingly serious before both of us burst into fits of laughter.

"Do you miss being home yet?" I asked and her grimace was her response back.

Ginger's family was well to do in a sense. They weren't billionaires but her new black Lincoln Navigator outside said something about how well off they were. Despite the money, Ginger barely knew her family. Both her parents were constantly too busy with work and social engagements while her older siblings were more concerned with burning through the family wealth as fast as possible. Ginger remained the only sensible one of the lot which probably came about because of her close connection to her grandmother Francesca. I had loved Francesca. She was one of those feisty old ladies who spoke her mind and didn't care if you liked it or not. Grandma Evelyn and she had been best friends which had caused me and Ginger to become best friends when I moved to San Diego. Francesca died suddenly when three years ago and Ginger came to live with us taking for awhile before my own grandmother died, just as suddenly. Knowing she had to stay with me, she told her parents she was leaving with me and taking her trust fund and car with her. Even though Ginger won't admit to it, I'm sure there was something she blackmailed each of her parents with in order to come with me. Her parents knew less about what she was than Charlie did, but she also had to only deal with one power growing up. My own outnumbered hers. I was silently munching while mulling my thoughts over when her voice pierced through them.

"I see your hair is still wet. Hurry up and I'll help you fix it so we can go."

I did as she said and followed her up the stairs to our bathroom. Before, it would've taken me thirty minutes to dry my thick hair. With Ginger focusing, it took five and about the ten to curl it. I ran my fingers through my hair quickly, softening the curls to look more natural and went to my room to grab my backpack. I met Ginger in the car who already had the heater running, not like she needed it. We drove silently towards the high school, me nervously wringing my hands, her smiling happily to herself. I could feel the ends of my hair lightly flowing from the light breeze, even though there was no breeze in the enclosed car.

"Lili, calm down. You're getting overly excited and I'll smack you if you start creating a windstorm in my car," Ginger said giving me a sympathetic look.

I closed my eyes and took in deep breaths trying to think of things that calmed me. The woods were a good one. Tall green trees, the filtered light that came through, the quiet that enveloped you the deeper you went. I opened my eyes as Ginger pulled into the parking lot. We were a few minutes early and only about four cars were parked in the same area. Stepping out, I looked around before I saw the sign over the front office. I walked carefully next to Ginger across the parking lot hoping to not fall. I wasn't particularly clumsy but I had enough good luck on my side that attracted bad equally. Walking into the office felt like walking into any other school office, frightening. Again I felt the light breeze fall around me and again I calmed myself down before Ginger could give me her "look". The secretary handed us our schedule and a map of the school before sending us off. We had no classes together since I was a junior and Ginger was a senior but I was happy to know we had lunch together. She walked with me at least to my first class before heading further into the campus towards her own. I walked in to class and handed my paper over to the teacher sitting in the front then moved my way towards the back, trying to stay as unnoticeable as I possibly could. I was not good at making friends. Besides trying to hide what I was, I just always felt awkward. I knew I could be a bit dorky in my humor but it was easier for me to ignore people than for me to make friends. People continuously glanced my way and during class I could hear murmurs of "new girl" and "Chief Michael's daughter". I thought I heard one say "pretty" but I doubted that it referred to me. Finally the bell rang after learning nothing in my history class and I was prepared to run out the door when a kid named Eric offered to walk me to my next class.

And so it continued throughout the day till lunch. Some boy or girl offering to walk me to class while asking me the same questions over and over. The only one who I liked was a shy quiet girl named Angela who didn't pry but you could obviously tell wasn't stupid. I didn't like stupid people like the girl named Jessica and the boy named Mike who I'd just met. They all but demanded my attention and then invited me to sit at their table. I had known people like them at my old high school and I already knew they had nothing I wanted to hear. And it was getting old reminding people not to call me "Jill". I snapped at Mike as we stood in the lunch line that it was Jillian or nothing at all. Only Charlie called me Jill and only my friends called me Lili, Ginger being the only one who called me that. I looked around to lunchroom searching for Ginger only to find her surrounded by people at the same table I was invited too. I knew she would have no problem making friends. She had always been the born leader which made me wonder why God chose me for my future destiny. I put on a smile and sat across from her and her new senior friends while Mike and Jessica flanked me on both sides. Ginger answered most of the questions thrown our way. Basically she had been adopted by my grandmother and when she passed we both preferred to come live with Charlie. More truth than lie so I was happy with the story. I quietly ate my food while glancing at Ginger every now and then to roll my eyes at whatever gossip Jessica was throwing my way that I could care less about. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mike staring at me in an obvious way. I looked away across to the other side of the room where I finally saw them. Three amazingly beautiful people sat quietly at a table alone together, not eating, not speaking. I looked over each one of them before my eyes rested on one boy in particular. He was lean but not skinny and had striking bronze hair. His skin was paler than mine but on him it worked. Like him being tanned would somehow mar his beauty. Silently I almost wished he'd turn so I could see his eyes when I felt the breeze again. The light air that swirls around me every time I got excited or nervous. A side affect, is what Ginger called it. Just how her temp was about six degrees higher than normal was a side affect of her power. But unfortunately I had about five side affects for five different things.

"I see you've found the Cullen family," Jessica said giggling, "They're even more confusing than you guys. You see they're adopted…." I tuned out and tried not to full on stare as she gave me the run down on the "odd" family. I didn't care much about them, only one interested me so far and she hadn't mentioned him yet. I still hadn't looked away from the table but none of them had looked my way until Jessica said his name. The minute "Edward Cullen" tumbled out of Jessica's mouth, his eyes found mine. Blushing because I had been some stupidly caught, I looked quickly down at my plate. Ginger's giggles brought my eyes up to her face, where she wore a grin that could light a Christmas tree.

"See something you like?" She asked nibbling on a roll.

"Shut it Ging. I was only curious. Sue me," I said with a slight edge. Part of the excitement died while a little anger rose to the surface. I picked up my fork and poked at my salad. Ginger shook her head and arched her eyebrow, letting me know that I needed to calm down. Breathing deep I refocused on my lettuce until Jessica not so subtly nudged my side.

"What?" I muttered.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you. He never looks at anyone. But he's totally staring at you," she whispered with jealousy tinged excitement.

I lifted my head and looked towards the table. I'd already been caught so there was no point in trying to be coy about it. It was true, Edward was staring at me in the most predatory way. I never listened much to my inner voice, always trying to be objective and open-minded, but that inner voice was shouting at me loud enough to get my attention. My instincts told me he wanted to hunt me, that he could even maybe want to hurt me, but they never said to run. Instead my instincts said to hunt him back and for once I was listening to them. I latched onto his gaze, my teal eyes holding onto his ever darkening black ones. I wasn't turning away anytime soon and neither was he.

**EPOV**

I'd come to the conclusion that school was prison. Of course I'd come to this conclusion several times before along with the majority of the student population. But for me, it was a constant truth. I learned nothing new in these classes, I learned nothing new from the students who seemed to grow shallower and apathetic each time I returned to a high school in America. One more year and I'll go, I thought to myself. I was currently posing as a junior in a small town high school for the umpteenth time in my life and it was beyond depressing. I almost wished I had gone with Emmett and Rosalie to South America. Almost. After I "graduated" I would try to convince my family to go somewhere else for awhile. We'd stayed in America for several years, it was time for a change. My mind agreed, hoping to escape before I let it atrophy in another high school somewhere else. At least today I was not the focus of so many thoughts. No, today they were centered on the two new girls who'd transferred here. Chief Michael's daughter Jillian and her friend Ginger Ruiz who he had taken in when her family died. I picked up random thoughts from the people who'd seen them. Nothing much concerning Ginger since she was a senior and I was surrounded by juniors. She seemed pretty enough, nothing that stood out to catch my attention. It was Jillian that had me curious. Most of the boys in school believed her to be a goddess sent to their school and dreamed of being the one to take her to the next dance. Jillian was pretty, pale, brunette, petite, but no one seemed to no much about her. Her voice apparently was never heard much and no one could decide what color eyes she had. Half thought blue, half thought green. I chuckled to myself wondering how all these guys thought they were in love but didn't even know what color her eyes were. I decided to tune out the thoughts that weren't helping me and instead listen to my own melancholy thoughts. It was times like this that I wished I could still sleep, but being a vampire made it impossible. Even though my family and I were of a vegetarian nature, it was still hard sometimes to be around a buffet and not have a taste. We knew what was at stake should we slip though and it wasn't a risk any of my brothers and sisters were willing to take. I never had much of a problem, no one's blood appealed to me to a point that was a strain against my control. I had been seventeen for over a hundred years and no one had cause more than a passing interest in me, whether in meal form or other. People liked to assume since I didn't date that perhaps my type wasn't a type I was comfortable mentioning. That wasn't the case. I could appreciate a gorgeous woman but once hearing their thoughts, I was disappointed time and again. I knew what I wanted, but I doubted I'd ever find. How're you supposed to find someone intelligent, beautiful inside as well as out, and not afraid of you. I knew that several girls had crushes on me but none them could seriously acted on them. They're not able to when instinctively they're told to run. None of this bothered me much since most of them were much too simple-minded for me. I made my way through the rest of my classes on autopilot, tuning out people's thoughts as well. Now I headed for the cafeteria, a place where I could not actually eat. Not many students would be comfortable if I were to drain a mountain lion in their midst. I fell in line behind Alice and Jasper, my brother and sister respectively, before following them to our table on the far side with a tray full of food I'd never eat. I almost went to the parking lot to sit in my car during the lunch hour, but the death glare from Alice held me to my seat. That's when the thoughts drifted in about the new girls in school once again. I didn't bother to turn and look, I got a clear enough view of them from my siblings. Right now, the attention was turned on to Ginger once again, all talking about how she stood out from the rest. Jasper gave me a look and I focused on the table I had seen her at.

"Her thoughts are difficult to keep up with, they're almost entirely in Spanish and I'm having to translate," I whispered to the table. I kept my voice only at a volume they could hear. "She hasn't even noticed us at all." I kept the last part to myself, the part where she was worrying about Jillian. Why was she so worried about how she was feeling? I went back to staring at my plates not paying much attention. A little bit of embarrassment from Mike I detected but nothing worth noting. I was content just enjoying my own silence when I heard my name spoken out loud by Jessica. This was nothing new but something I hadn't head in a long time. I turned without thinking, wondering what prompted her to say my name when I saw her. Jillian had been staring at us and the moment I turned my head she blushed a dark rose and looked down. Alice caught my thoughts asking what was being said.

"Jessica is telling her about us. Nothing to fanciful this time," I murmured.

"What is she thinking?" Alice asked curiously. Her eyes twinkling in anticipation.

I turned and saw her frowning at her friend as she giggled. Ginger thought she liked, Jillian thought nothing. How could she think nothing? I refocused and listened harder. I heard her voice, so soft and sharp at the same time. But her thoughts were on mute. I was getting frustrated, this never happens to me. I always heard the inner workings on people's minds. Always. I was now staring intently at her when Jessica told her I was staring. I expected her to sneak a glance, try some subtle maneuver to look my way. I was shocked when she turned without hesitation and locked her gaze with mine. What was more surprising is that she didn't look away. She wasn't backing down when her instincts should have been telling her too. I stared straight into her eyes, teal I discovered, and focused. Still nothing. I was growing impatient and angry. I could almost feel the growl at the back of my throat. Then I made the biggest mistake, I took a deep breathe. I could smell her from here. Her blood was so pure, so untainted and somehow powerful. I knew drinking from her would be a heady experience. There was something more though. I wanted to hunt her, chase her. Not just to drink her, but to have her. I found I wanted her in such a primitive way it was scaring me. I took another deep breathe searching for her scent in the many I picked up. I found it faintly it was new and it just had to be hers. So fresh and innocent. Jillian was my dream, my nightmare, and I wanted her now. For the first time I wanted to know if a girl wanted me the same way. I tried to hear her thoughts, tried to find my name in her mind. I couldn't stand and I could feel myself losing control. I had to break this trance before I strode across the room and took her right in front of everyone. I just didn't know if I was going to take her blood or her body yet. I gave up and turned quickly back to the table. I stood up with my tray and headed for the exit, my siblings close behind. Once outside Alice spoke up.

"Don't worry Edward, you're not going to do anything," she said a little too cheerily.

"That's not exactly a vote of confidence Alice. Are you okay Jasper," I asked.

"It's weird. I could feel what she was feeling. It's not like her emotions were over the top, just somehow more…prevalent. Odd," he said and then began thinking to himself.

"I like them. Especially Jillian. She's a cutie and she wasn't afraid. You can tell when they're scared but not her. For a moment I almost thought she was going to hunt you instead of you hunting her," Alice rambled as she slid her hand into Jasper's grasp.

I shot her a look meaning to shut her up. But her comment got me thinking. She didn't look afraid, in fact she looked more prepared to fight than anything. So beautiful and human but strong. I loved to hunt mountain lions and looks-wise she was a kitten. A ferocious kitten I added. What would it be like to tame her I suddenly found myself wondering. Wait, why are you even thinking in that way? I chided myself. I was no better then the rest of these males panting after her without knowing her. I ran my hand through my hair to steady myself as I headed for chemistry, hoping to lose myself in the mundane and forget Jillian Michaels.


	3. Chapter 3: Tear You Apart

A/N: I own nothing, blah blah. This chapter is Edward's point of view solely. Don't worry, we will revisit this chapter later on. And he's slightly OOC to fit my story cause that's how I want it. Thanx to anyone reading this and please keep on.

Song for this part "Tear You Apart" by She Wants Revenge

**EPOV**

I sat at my table in chemistry trying to let my mind wander into blankness, but the image of Jillian's eyes burning into me remained in the forefront. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath to clear my head when it hit. I only knew of one thing that smelled so fresh and innocent. My eyes flew open and saw the most tempting creature standing at the front of the room talking to the teacher. I started to panic when she turned and started walking towards my lab table. _I couldn't do this_, I thought looking back down to the table, _I can't sit next to her for an hour and keep in control_. I was contemplating how much trouble I would cause by running as fast as my vampire speed would allow me to my car waiting in the school parking lot. I was still going over escape plans in my head when the sound of her heartbeat became stronger and closer. The noise of her beating heart held me to my seat and all thoughts of running were gone. I let my gaze shift slightly to the left and watched as she sat down next to me. I couldn't help myself, it seemed as I turned my head even more to look at her. I surveyed Jillian's form as she took out her books and settled herself more into her chair. She was slim, not extremely skinny but just slender in a delicate way. I could see the small hips that curved up into a small waist that I could wrap a single arm around almost encompass her completely. She turned and bent slightly down to set her book bag on the floor causing her blouse to raise slightly in the back and gave me a view of her smooth, light skin. It was all I could do to not reach over and run my hand across that small sliver of flesh. Venom began to trickle down the back of my throat, but it wasn't brought on by her blood. I was crumbling at the sight of an inch of skin. Jillian turned back and leaned slightly more on the desk while my eyes continued ever upward and landed on her rounded breasts. They were perfect just like the rest of her. I wanted to rest my head there, lie against her and listen to her heartbeat, breathe her in forever. Thinking of her heartbeat brought me out of my trance just enough to listen to the thudding that was rapidly speeding up. I brought my view up, silently cursing that her dark hair hid her neck from view and found myself staring right into Jillian's face. Her cheeks held a deepening blush letting me know she had caught me ogling her. I chanced to lift my gaze a little more and meet her eyes. I took a deep breath, shocked to see her staring intently at me with a look that confused me. In it was a mixture of anger, embarrassment and possibly excitement or curiosity. No fear was held in them, no sign that she was the least bit afraid of me. All the humans in this town held some fear, it was that survival instinct. Either she couldn't comprehend survival or she thought she could survive against me. But her emotions weren't the only things confusing me. I was still unable to read her thoughts, which wasn't helping me to keep my emotions in check, now there was something else. Holding Jillian's gaze I took in another deep breath and I was right. Her scent had altered somehow. The familiar scent of wildflowers and nature was still there only stronger and mixed somehow with another. The faint smell of a match being lit, of fire trying to ignite was now in her. Jillian narrowed her eyes a bit and brought her mouth more into an annoyed pout. I couldn't help but to look down at her lips. I wanted those lips on my own. I wanted to take her mouth, kiss her so deeply she'd forget to breathe, place smaller kisses over her blushing cheeks across her jaw, and down her neck. I began peering at her neck when she cleared her throat bringing my attention back to her lips as they parted and her voice tumbled out. I hardly noticed what she'd actually had said I was so busy listening just to the sound of her voice. It was soft, airy almost, and if she sang it was a definite soprano. There was a slight edge in it as she asked me not to stare at her. I turned my head back to the front of the class as what she had said finally registered in my foggy head. I sat more rigid and straight, crossing my arms over my chest and balled my hands into fists before I used them to pull her closer to me. Jillian to looked to the front, waiting for Mr. Braymer to start the day's lesson. I tried to block out her presence. I quit breathing for one, I kept my eyes trained on the teacher, and I ignored the thoughts of the other guys in the class, especially Mike Newton's. One more obscene fantasy and I was going to leap over to his table and rip him to shreds. The hardest was trying not to listen to the steady, rhythmic pounding of her heart. I could barely listen to the teacher's instructions as worksheets were being handed out. I could write symphonies to the constant pattering beats. I looked over the worksheet absently in front of me, resisting the urge to peek at her once more. I unclenched my hands to pick up a pen and began working out the chemical equations. Nothing difficult but I took my time configuring the problems to look somewhat normal and to keep distracting myself from the goddess sitting next to me. I was half way done when the scratching of the pen next to me weakened my resistance and I glanced sideways. Jillian was in complete concentration, her head propped up by her left hand as she went over the worksheet. She wasn't much further behind than me, pausing briefly here and there to think. Dammit, why did she actually have to be smart. I had been hoping that she would be an air-head like most of the others, something to put in the negative box against her. Jillian would nibble slightly on her bottom lip every so often driving me more insane. Just as I was about to go back to my own work, when she paused absently to gently brush her hair away from the right side of her face and neck. I tore my eyes away before my mouth latched onto her throat. A glance was all it took. The venom started to flow again as the image of her thin neck, pulsing with life that smelled sweeter than anything I'd ever encountered. It was right there. I could drain her within seconds. I continued writing while my mind drifted further into darker fantasies. I wanted to taste her, wanted to feel the blood run down my scorching throat. I wanted to listen to her heartbeat as my lips gripped her neck in a deadly bite. The horrifying image of her after she was no more led me to think less of her blood and more of her body once again. It was there I was torn. Two images came suddenly to mind and both equally frightened me to the very core. The first was so primal, so unlike anything I've ever thought it was unnerving. I imagined us alone in the room, not caring how we ended up alone, but glad we were. I looked at her, my eyes raking over her body as Jillian stared right back at me worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Without another thought I had grabbed her and placed her on the table in front of me. My hands were in her hair, roughly yanking her head back as I brought my mouth down on her neck, dragging my tongue down to the hollow of her throat. I started kissing further down undoing her top and pushing it off her shoulders, leaving her in only a bra. I continued my assault, my right hand still entangled in her hair as my left one firmly grabbed her breast. Massaging her while my mouth moved over her skin. Jillian moaned my name while grabbing a handful of my hair and pulled my face closer to her body. I couldn't take it anymore as I tore the clothes away from her body and pushed her down on the table. I was inside her before I knew it, thrusting away. It was hard and animalistic. Her small hands clutching me closer to her as she thrashed her head and screamed my name. My mouth never left her neck as I picked up speed my hands, trailing down her back to grab her waist and lift her closer. I was relentless as I moved in and out of her at an ever quickening pace. I so wanted to hear Jillian's sweet voice crying in pleasure as I brought her to the edge. I imagined what it would sound like to hear her scream out my name over and over. A low growl was forming in my throat that took all my control to suppress. Mr. Braymer's voice announcing we had fifteen more minutes brought me out of my reverie. I had completely stopped writing all together. My left hand was clenched so tightly into a fist, my skin looked even whiter if possible from the strain. I moved my arm and let it drop casually beside my chair and held onto the seat as if my life depended on it. Not my life, Jillian's life. I also noticed how hard I had gotten and shifted in my seat hoping to conceal it and hoping it would go away before the bell rang. I went back to the worksheet where the second fantasy took over. I had taken Jillian to a meadow I would sometimes go to. It was sunny and she was laughing and smiling at me. I reached out and slowly traced my finger down the side of her face. Still smiling, she closed her eyes softly and leaned more into my touch. Leaning in, my cold lips found hers in a tender kiss. Jillian tasted so sweet and soft. The kiss grew more intense but remained gentle. It was chaste and passionate all at the same time. My hand was still cupping her face as she brought her hands up to mine. I moved to her neck, softly nibbling and whispered something that brought a beautiful sigh from her lips. I placed soft kisses down her neck as Jillian moved her hands up to run them through my hair before they landed on my back. I laid her down on the soft grass and stretched over. I listened to her heart as I began to softly run my hands over her body. I wanted to memorize every inch of her glowing skin. I took my time, placing small kisses at random spots, earning me soft giggles, hushed moans, and light mewling sounds. My little kitten purring for me is what I wanted as I continued on. This time, it was slow and tender as I looked into her eyes letting her see all the emotions behind this act and seeing the same ones reflected in those teal orbs I've become entranced with. The bell rang and I growled low again at the annoying thing for interrupting the most perfect "dream" I had in my entire existence. I looked over to see Jillian passing her finished worksheet forward and putting her stuff away. I handed mine to the person in front of me and watched her. I wanted to make that last thought of her a reality but right now the first one of me tearing into her seemed more likely to happen if I didn't get myself back under control. Even though I was over a hundred years old, I still harbored the hormones of a seventeen year old. Jillian walked out of the room, refusing Newton's invite to walk her to the gym bringing a smirk to my face. I slowly began picking up my books, willing the hardness in my jeans to continue to lessen so I could walk when she looked back at me. If my heart were still beating it would have stopped at the small smile I saw grace her lips in the moment she glanced at me. All too soon she was out the door. I steadied myself as I walked out the door and to my next class. I now had a dilemma. I no longer relished the idea of draining her body till it lay lifeless beneath me. It was worse. I was now in a struggle over what I felt more, love or lust. I continued thinking of her lovely image as I sat down in my last class. I found myself aching for her deep within the pit of my stomach. The monster in me lusted for her body, her blood, bellowed to the sky with need for her. It was the monster that wanted to throw her onto that table and take her in lust filled haze. To fuck her shamelessly and almost violently. The human side, the one that I somehow held onto was the one that wanted to make love to her. That side was winning out more. I was the one wanting to protect her, comfort her, hold her close and make her smile. I thought again of the small smile on Jillian's face as she had looked at me. What had it meant? All I could think of was how to put that smile back on her face and keep it there. But then the reality set in. She didn't know my secret, the one that could end her life in a heated moment between us. If I told her, she'd run screaming from me like an angel should when meeting a monster. I should stay as far away from her as possible, but the very thought hurt me like it did when I thought of her dead. Jillian's death was a possibility if she were to get to close to me. I didn't care that I was risking my entire family for her, but I wouldn't risk her life for my own selfish wants and desires. I would love her from afar, be her guardian angel if she needed me. _Jillian had won the heart of a vampire,_ I thought grinning to myself. If only I was worthy of having her love in return.


	4. Chapter 4: Bizarre Love Triangle

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to post but here it is. I own nothing that came from Stephanie Meyers cause I'm not that cool. I apologize for the muddled last chapter. That's not how it looked on my computer so I don't know what happened. Thanx to everyone reading this and leaving comments. It makes my heart super happy! The songs for this chapter:

"6 Underground" by the Sneaker Pimps.

"Bizarre Love Triangle" cover version by Frente.

**JPOV**

The bell couldn't ring soon enough for my first day to be over. Gym would've been more tolerable if that Newton guy wasn't constantly hanging on me or trying to save me from the evil volleyball. I can hit a ball perfectly fine. I could also hit him and send him flying across the room, something I was tempted to do more than once. I made it out the locker room and hurried to the parking lot to see Ginger waiting by her car surrounded by a small group of upperclassmen. She was smiling happily and laughing. I wish it were that easy for me. Out of all the kids I'd met today the only I could stand was a sweet shy girl named Angela. Although that Edward guy had me curious. I caught him staring at me at the beginning of chemistry and he seemed tense as hell throughout class. Like I'd reached over and stabbed him with my pencil. But there were a few times that I thought he was looking at me from the corner of his eye and the look it held brought a small smile to my face. I shook my head trying to prevent the thoughts that had been raging in my head during class. I approached the edge of the group when Ginger smiled even bigger and unlocked the car. Everyone was waving and yelling goodbye, I mumbled something while Ginger practically waved her arm off.

"So, how was your day?" Ginger asked once we shut the doors behind us.

"Same as any high school, except chillier."

"Nothing fun or exciting? Nothing really caught your attention then?" Ginger asked with a very suspicious smile.

"Alright, what's going on? I know that look. You get that look when you're trying to set me up for something I don't want to do. Like bungee jumping or wearing stilettos."

"I was just wondering because even though you're saying nothing caught your attention, you sure caught someone else's," she winked then motioned with her head to look behind her. I leaned a little past her, and there leaning up against his silver Volvo was Edward Cullen looking straight at me. His sister and brother from the cafeteria were standing on the passenger side looking less intently at me as well. The girl shot me a huge grin and waved before Edward apparently said something to her that caused her to stop and get in the car. He looked back at me with an unsure look before climbing in himself. His eyes seemed lighter than they were in the classroom. More yellowy and less black. I leaned back to find Ginger had been watching the scene with interest.

"You gonna tell me what happened?" she asked turning the key in the ignition.

"There's nothing to tell. He sits next to me in chem class. I didn't even talk to him because we worked on some lame worksheet the entire hour," I replied, deciding to leave out his staring and my embarrassing reactions to it. Ginger pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

"Do you think he's cute?"

"I didn't really notice."

"Then you must think he's beyond hot. You never have a problem saying some guy is cute because you don't care about guys. This one is super gorgeous, I saw you guys staring each other down at lunch and then he's looking at you in the parking lot. No, something's up, I'm not stupid. I know these things," She said excitedly in one huge rush as we pulled into the drive.

I just rolled my eyes. Ginger did have a knack for knowing things, nothing to clear but just enough to always trust her instincts. It was a "side affect" we joked she had because of her linage. Francesca could read tarot cards and was never wrong in her predictions. It was unsettling to say the least. Even though Ginger had her grandmother's old set, she never read them. I like surprises, she said when asked about why she never wanted to know the future. But this little revelation worried me. She was right when it came to boys. I paid them no attention, none of them had the qualities I was looking for until now. _, _I scolded myself. We climbed out of the car and walked into the house both of us running upstairs to deposit our books and change into some more beat up clothes. Ginger ran down to the kitchen to get "provisions" as she called them while I went to the tool shed out in the backyard to get some things. A few moments later we were walking through the woods behind my house and towards my "spot" singing Bob Dylan songs all the way. Fifteen minutes later, we had arrived. The last time I had been here was the day before I left for San Diego and the rush of nostalgia hit me. I had expected the clearing to be more overgrown since I'd been gone. Ginger set down the bag of stuff and she walked to the stone circle in the middle. I put down the rakes and helped her clear any brush out of the middle and around the area. I put a few small dry branches in the center and stood back. Ginger flashed a mischievous smile before gazing into the middle of the circle and snapping her fingers. A fire whooshed up causing me to jump slightly even though I was expecting it. Ginger giggled at my reaction before picking up a rake. I mentioned something about keeping it down to a normal campfire before the whole forest went up in flames. I went over and picked up the other rake and went to work on the forest floor.

I wasn't trying to get rid of any wildlife, just clean up the dead pine needles and other brush that would spell trouble for us if I had to come here soon. I'd found this place one disastrous afternoon when I was five. I had colored on the walls in my room and during the lecture Charlie was giving me, the curtains in my room burst into fire. I ran out the backdoor and didn't stop till I had gotten here and collapsed. Charlie found me a few minutes later, damp from sudden light rain that began falling at the same time I began crying. That was when I knew there was something off about me. That it wasn't my imagination that weird things happened around me. Charlie didn't say anything but carried me back to the house and put me to bed in my parents room. The next day there was fire retardant curtains and bedspreads in my room and a path cut out through the trees towards the clearing. I built the campfire later that summer after a visiting tourist broke my Barbie. It was either light his face or build a campfire. The campfire won out. Soon it was cleaned up enough and we walked nearer to the campfire and settled ourselves on the ground. Ginger opened her bag and pulled out a bag of marshmallows and bottles of water. We both laughed as we stuck the on the end of shish kabob sticks.

"And we couldn't use the twigs lying here on the ground because…" I ventured.

"Please, animals use the floor as their restroom. God only knows who dragged their furry butt across those twigs," Ginger replied making a face. I only laughed harder.

"I'm just glad to be back. Not that I didn't like San Diego but this is more me. I can be weird here."

"You're not weird, you're perfectly normal. You just have a little something extra."

"Something extra," I snorted.

"You know, I'm just as big a freak as you are. Even more so. I could accidentally set my own ice cream on fire," Ginger huffed.

"See, no you wouldn't. You are perfectly in control of your power. I'm scared I'm going to blow up my car if I get road rage."

"Well, it's a good thing we didn't move to L.A. then, huh?" Ginger asked smirking. She pulled her marsh mellow out of the fire and stared at it for a bit, making it smolder more evenly around before plucking it off the stick. "And you forget about the week we had to spend camped out on the beach," she added.

That was the only time I'd seen her lose control. Ginger was staying at my house when she had gotten the call that Francesca had died suddenly and went insane with rage. Before she could burn the house down, my grandmother threw her into our pool and told her to wait with me outside. Twenty minutes later we were headed to the beach with camping gear, just the three of us. It was harder to set things on fire there and with the dampness of the ocean, I could point the sorrow too the sea where it was less noticeable instead of overhead. It took Ginger an entire week to calm down. Since then she'd been more in control of herself and handle things much better. The edge was still there though just waiting to be released in due time. She must have been remembering the same things and asked the question I was waiting for.

"Do you think they know we exist? Could they be hunting us down now?"

"It's possible. But who gets the powers is so unpredictable, we might get lucky and they think the family let them get bred out," I answered the best I could.

"You need to start practicing."

"I know."

"You're going to have to eventually open that trunk."

"I know. Look, let's talk about something else for awhile. Something normal."

Ginger nodded and began talking about the various activities she was planning on joining. Since the student council had already been voted in, she had to look for other things to occupy her time. She was already taking debate and art and had somehow managed to join the pep squad and the dance committee. Dance committee had me nervous. Ginger got all wrapped up in school dances and was constantly dragging me along as a third wheel to several of them.

"You know, there's a dance coming up the weekend before Halloween," she mentioned slyly.

"I'm not going."

"Oh come on! It'll be fun. You love to dance and you dance so well," Ginger whined, pouting a little.

"Don't even try. Just cause I can dance doesn't mean the boys can. And it's no fun sitting around watching you and your date make out when I have no one."

"This one is supposed to be girl's choice. I'm sure there's someone you've got chemistry with you can ask."

"That was pathetically smooth," I said laughing through my marshmallow.

"Why are you so scared of dating?" she asked.

"Wow, is it like twenty questions day? One, I've never met a guy before that held my attention long enough past a 'hello'. Two, no one is going to want to date a girl that could set their hair on fire if he forgets their anniversary or throw him down the football field if he got to touchy," I said sighing.

"Then we'll just have to find someone who won't mind being thrown into a tree," Ginger offered.

"No such person."

After a few more minutes of gossiping about classmates not of the Edward variety, we put out the fire and headed back to start dinner. Charlie came home and dinner was pleasant while he asked questions about our first day. I let Ginger answer most of them. Homework was a breeze and I was almost done before Ginger even finished her shower. I was a lot smarter than people seemed to realize, a trait I kept to myself. Bed couldn't come soon enough I thought as I climbed under my covers. I closed my eyes listening to sounds outside, grateful I had left my window cracked open slightly to let the soft evening noises lull me to sleep. My daydreams from earlier that day about Edward returned and more vivid then ever. I'm sure I was smiling in my sleep.

EPOV

I moved quickly across the forest floor, nearing my prey with each passing second. The musky smell of the mountain lion burned in my nostrils as I scaled a nearby tree to pounce on him from above and behind. I had immediately flew into the forest after I'd come home from school. My mind was still tortured with the scent of Jillian and the images flooding my all too aware brain. It was times like this when I wished for sleep. The ability to fade into unconsciousness could prove helpful in sorting out my dilemma with this human girl or make it worse. Giving my mind free reign to come up with interesting fantasies made me shudder. I wasn't normally like this. Girls made no impression on me whatsoever. I would admire a beautiful woman for a split second before losing complete interest. I was raised to be respectful towards women, not have such perverted animalistic thoughts that could make my older brother Emmet blush. I was grateful that he and Rosalie were away and not here to bother me with this embarrassing situation. It was bad enough having to deal with Jasper and Alice. Alice kept giggling at random moments on the way home, no doubt at my expense over this sudden crush. Part of the reason I left to hunt was to get away form her insistence that I talk about this. Sighing heavily I headed back towards home, having gotten my fill of deer and finishing up with a mountain lion to face a mortifying conversation with my sister. Halfway back my mind began wandering again back to Jillian. This time it was more of the things I was curious to know about her. Like if we happened to have anything at all in common with each other. I almost hoped we didn't. I partially began to pray that she was some brain-dead shallow person with nothing endearing about her so that it would make it easier on me to dislike her. If that were the case, these overwhelming sensations I felt around her would surely fade. That's when I realized I was no longer running towards home, I was running towards Jillian's house. Everyone knew where the Chief lived and been there once myself shortly after we moved here to visit along with my father Carlisle. Charlie seemed pleasant enough, a little to engrossed in sports statistics, but a good guy nonetheless. I hadn't paid much attention to the conversation we had but I do remember briefly him mentioning Jillian and the thoughts of sadness and worry made me block out his mind for the duration of our visit.

I come up to the house from the back through the woods. I passed a clearing on the way, her scent lingered there still along with the faint smell of a campfire and a spicy scent I realized belong to her friend Ginger. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, seeking out her room. Instantly I found it, scaled the tree and found myself outside her room on the window ledge. Jillian's window was unlocked and slightly ajar, letting in the fresh air. _What am I doing?_ I screamed internally at myself. I'm basically stalking her, but I couldn't help it. I felt very much like Romeo scaling the garden walls to find his Juliet. Mine lay just inside, sleeping peacefully. Her heartbeat was calling to me and quietly I entered. Her smell hit me full force, so powerful that I almost ran back out into the woods. I regained control of myself and looked over at her. Jillian was facing the wall, deep in sleep. Her heartbeat even and breathing steady. I looked away, disappointed that I really couldn't see her face. I didn't dare sit or touch her bed, not wanting to disturb her peacefulness. I surveyed her room instead, the colors pale and soft. She had books piled into a half sized bookshelf. I looked over the titles and was amazed at the variety. No silly romances but a collection of classics, poetry, a few biographies and some sci-fi and mysteries for fun. I made a circle around her room, stopping to look at every photo, every book, every CD. She had tons of CD's, mostly burned with elusive titles like "mix 1" or "hip hop 5". As I roamed in her room, snooping I admitted finally to myself, I became more curious. She had pictures of Ginger and her father, but none of anyone else. A trunk sat at the foot of her bed and I could tell it hadn't been opened in years.

I was thinking all these questions of why when I heard it. A soft whisper of my name. I froze instantly, trying to blend into the little bit of shadow near the closet. Jillian and whispered my name and for a moment I believed I had been caught until I noticed her rolling onto her back, eyes serenely closed. She was asleep. I let out a sigh of relief to suck in another deep breath. Was she dreaming of me? If my heart still beat it would be pounding with joy. I moved silently to the edge of her bed and knelt by her side. Jillian's head laid towards the window giving me the most stunning view of her. The moonlight outside gave her face an ethereal glow. I stared out her, burning every small detail into my memory. Every line, every freckle permanently ingrained in my head. A glint from her throat brought drew my attention away from her face. At her throat sat a beautiful gemmed flower necklace. So delicate and unique, like her. I reached out my hand slowly, letting it hover just above the necklace. I closed my eyes and pretended to trail my hand up her throat, I could feel the heat radiating off her skin, warming my cold hand. My mouth was watering and not for her blood. I suddenly realized not once did I think about my teeth sinking into her veins the entire time I was there. All I could think of was how badly I wanted to touch her, when her voice once again whispered into the room. My eyes flew open at the sound of my name being more loudly whispered form her lips. The tone of it was so sweet and loving and the smile that now turned up the corners of her mouth was making my head spin. I sat there, unmoving till the pale light of morning approaching pulled me from her side. I could sit there for all eternity just gazing in wonder at the beauty that is Jillian. I stepped back out into the dark light of morning coming and sped home. Unfortunately the clouds had thinned and the sunlight would keep me from being at her side today, leaving me with countless hours to somewhat dream of her. I was barely through the front door when Alice pounced on me with a speech I'm sure she'd been working on all night.

"Edward, I know where you were, have you lost it? You just can't go sneaking into Jillian's room at night like some freak. What if you get caught? Now I know you love her but don't push it or you'll make it worse," Alice rapidly said.

"I'll make what worse? Alice what did I say about looking into her future," I growled at her.

"I didn't mean to look but after you left and I saw you going to her house, I couldn't help myself. I know you love her so I just wanted to peek but there's not much to see," She said in a slightly worried tone.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, her future is real hazy right now. Blurry. It's annoying as all hell if you ask me, no wonder you were all pissy at lunch. It sucks when your powers are weak or blocked. I'm just saying that I can't get a good read on her. The only thing I know for certain is there's something big not to far off, but no decision made by her. I don't understand what it means except she's very special," Alice added the last bit smiling and pranced off to reorganize her closet.

I went upstairs, flipped on my stereo and crashed onto my sofa. I rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling. I closed my eyes and let visions of Jillian smiling, whispering my name and other fantasies involving her in the moonlight swim in head. Night wouldn't be able to come fast enough for me.


	5. Chapter 5: Something So Strong

A/N: Sorry its taken so long to repost, believe me I had good reasons. I swear. Anyways, here's the next chapter and I hope to post another soon. Thanx to everyone who has reviewed so far. Music for this chapter:

"A Little Help From My Friends" by The Beatles

"Something So Strong" by Crowded House

**JPOV**

The faint rays of morning light landed directly on my face, waking me up just shy of my alarm. Stretching myself out, I got up to close my window which had opened slightly more during the night and get ready for school. With my initial first day over with, I wasn't dreading my return to Forks High, but I wasn't jumping for joy either. Ginger on the other hand, was dancing around the house singing ridiculously happy songs.

"What has got you acting so damned perky?" I asked once inside her car.

"I'm not sure. I just feel really good about everything. You know, like us being here, life and all that stuff," she replied smiling, "Don't you feel it too?"

"A little, I guess," I answered with a shrug. I did feel less weight on my shoulders. Like my life wasn't completely doomed and gloomy. I wasn't sure why I was starting to feel this way, but I didn't bother to dwell too much on it as we pulled into the school parking lot. A few kids walked over to Ginger and me as we exited the vehicle. Ginger of course was smiling ear to ear and chatted easily with everyone. I stood slightly back feigning interest with my own small smile plastered to my face.

I managed to make small talk with a few of the kids in my classes that I had met yesterday. One class I found myself enjoying more was English. Not only did I actually like talking with Angela and found we had a few common interests, but we were going to start studying poetry for the rest of the quarter. Now if only my other classes could brighten my day like this. _One could if you got over yourself,_ my inner voice whispered. I pushed the voice back into the dark corner of my brain and dragged myself to Math class. I was in the early stages of loathing this class and I knew I would soon dread stepping in here before the semester was over. One of the problems was that I was actually good at the subject, it just bored me to tears. I had managed to be good enough to be placed in an advance math and science program back home that they didn't have here. So instead of moving forward to at least something slightly less mind-numbing, I was repeating Advanced Algebra 2 once again. Not only that, but I was now sandwich between Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton. Its not that I hated them, they actually had small moments of sincere niceness, it was just they had very small and few moments of sincerity. Such a shame because they both seemed like deep down Jessica and Mike were actually good people. Despite this little bit of sympathy I had, it didn't stop the annoyance I felt listening to Jessica drone on about the latest gossip or Mike's obvious crush. His constant brushing against me in the hall after class and in the lunch line had aggravated me enough for the day so I didn't feel bad when Mike went to sit next to me and fell because the chair had moved just enough for him to miss it. Laughter erupted at our table and even I broke out into a grin, but stopped when I saw the intense frown Ginger aimed at me. I shrugged my shoulders and picked up my burger acting like it was no big deal.

Mike made a couple of lame jokes then kept his eyes focused on his tray of food that sat in front of him. I tuned out the conversations of the impending football game in two weeks and focused on eating my lunch in quiet. I did out of curiosity look over to the table where Edward had been sitting the day before only to find it empty. Disappointment seemed to fill me as I stared at the table. I sighed deeply causing Ginger to look at me with a hint of worry. I gave her a reassuring smile before going back to my meal. Chemistry was dull and I kept glancing at the vacant seat next to me out of the corner of my eye while working on yet another worksheet much too easy for me. I was grateful when Gym ended so I could go home and relax. There were too many things that were trying my patience and that was never a good thing. Ginger and I drove home in silence so I could take deep breaths and calm myself. Once home, we settled at the kitchen table to do homework.

"How was your day?" Ginger asked casually not looking up from her book.

"A cross between totally stressful and completely boring," I replied while writing down the answers to my history assignment.

"I noticed Edward wasn't in school today. Is that why today was so boring?"

I glanced up to glare at Ginger's smirking face before going back to my work.

"Fine. Don't talk about him. There are plenty of other guys, like that Mike guy. He's pretty cute. I'm sure he's not so bad that you had to embarrass him like that."

"Please, that boy is annoying as all hell. He keeps touching me and staring at me. It's sorta creepy. I'm scared I'm gonna wake up one morning and find him sleeping on the front lawn with my name tattooed on his chest."

"He can't be that bad," Ginger laughed out.

"Yes, he is. Mike is five seconds away from becoming my own personal stalker. Next thing you know, he's going to offer me candy to get me into his van. It's freaky!"

Ginger was in tears now from laughing so hard that I immediately joined in. After a few minutes we were gasping for air and trying refocus on our homework.

"Why don't you just tell him to back off, before I see him running through the halls with his letterman's jacket on fire," Ginger said after overcoming her laughing fit.

"Because we're still in that weird "friends" phase since he hasn't actually asked me out. I say something now, he'll turn it around to save his own ass and say I'm the psycho. I'm waiting till he says something so I can turn him down. Hopefully he won't be too much of a pain in my ass afterwards."

"Mike does seem a bit obsessive. Maybe you could find someone he could be obsessive about that wants to be obsessed over. Ya know?"

Ginger was right in a way. Mike just needed someone who didn't mind being a constant source of attention. I knew no one better at vying for that title than Jessica. It would be a match made in heaven or hell, depending on your point of view. The rest of the night was peaceful with Charlie in a good mood since he busted some guy who had been robbing summer cabins in the area now in jail. He went to bed the minute I switched 90210 on. I once again cracked my window open and noticed the sky once again clouding up. I was asleep soon after I lay down.

**EPOV**

I had been driving the family crazy with my restlessness all day. Usually when the sun made an appearance, we left for a few days to hunt further north. However, Alice had a vision that this would be the only sunny day for a week or two, so there was no real point in leaving. My father Carlisle called us in sick to school saying all three of us had food poisoning. This elicited laughter from the rest of us. None of us were going to get a case of salmonella anytime soon. I couldn't stay focused on one thing long enough to settle down. Alice was once again reorganizing one of her many closets with Jasper helping. Carlisle was in his study going over patient files while my mother Esme was deciding if she wanted to redecorate the master bedroom. She was going over different themes and color patterns in her head. I steered clear of what Alice and Jasper were thinking. Nothing good ever came from their thoughts when left alone together in a room. I stared blankly at the television for what felt like an eternity, only to realize it had been two hours. I wandered aimlessly through the house trying to keep my mind occupied, but it did no good. I kept having scattered visions of Jillian and of what she was doing today.

I finally gave up around noon and went up to my room. I turned on my stereo and lay down on my couch. Putting my hands behind my head I stared up at the ceiling for awhile before closing my eyes and let my thoughts of Jillian dance around in my mind. Even though I couldn't actually sleep, I could slip into something of a meditative state if I needed to focus on one thing in particular. Usually I did this when writing music, something lately I hadn't done in several years, but right now all my attention was on Jillian. I brought back all the details I remembered of her. I imagined what it would be like to hear her laugh, to look at me and whisper my name like she had last night, to bury my face in the side of her neck and breath her in. All these things and more played in my head, and while I let myself wonder I began humming. Jillian was the one inspiring this tune that was causing my fingers the need to play it out. I got up and walked downstairs to my piano. I sat down and began playing, my hands moved swiftly over the keys as I put the pieces together. I played it over and over fine tuning certain runs and bridges. I only had about half of it done when I stopped. I was unsure where to go because of my source of inspiration. I realized how little I still knew of Jillian and of how much more I wanted to know. But was it possible to love someone so deeply so fast or was I confusing myself. I needed to speak with Carlisle.

I rose from the piano and made my way up the stairs to Carlisle's study. He invited me in before I even knocked. I sat down in the dark leather chair in front of his desk as he cleared the papers he had been working on away. I leaned slightly forward, my elbows resting on my knees.

"Edward, what can I do for you?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, there is a certain girl at school that I've recently become…enamored with," I said. I heard Carlisle's mind telling me to continue. "Her name is Jillian and lately she's become everything I think about. Its maddening and I feel completely torn."

"How so?" he thought.

"My thoughts are divided which in turn has somehow divided my feelings for her. Mostly I think what it would be like to hear her laugh or hold her hand, things of that nature. However, I'm also having thoughts that are…less than gentlemanly. I feel I love her, deeply but then I'm feeling things that are more carnal in nature," I said wringing my hands together.

"Well, you shouldn't be so harsh with yourself Edward for the latter half of your feelings. You forget that even though you're over a hundred years old, you've been frozen at the age of seventeen for those hundred years. I'm still not sure what exactly has you so upset though," Carlisle said in a calming tone.

"I'm upset because what if I'm not really in love with her? What if I'm just letting perverse teenage hormones take over and instead of being a better person, worthy of loving her, I'm becoming a deviant of some sort," I explained slightly panicky.

"I see. You're afraid it's not love but something more primal I assume. You are in fact a vampire, so your most basic and primal instincts are always right on the surface Edward. I know that you are quite capable of keeping these less then admirable desires under control. I want to point out that just because you experience feelings like that, doesn't diminish what love you do feel. Emmett and Rosalie are perfect examples," Carlisle spoke, a smile graced his lips.

I leaned back and thought over the things he said. They did make sense and made my uneasiness over the situation dissipate some. But I still wasn't sure which emotion was stronger and if it wasn't love I felt I didn't want to put her and my family in harms way because my urges became out of control. Carlisle spoke before I was able to.

"I am curious as to one thing. Not once in our entire discussion have you mentioned her blood. Has it no pull on you?"

"No. It has a definite hold on my senses. Her blood constantly calls to me, even now at this distance my mind relives the scent. It's so strong I had to use all my willpower not to drink from her in the middle of the cafeteria," I responded shamefully. I wasn't proud of how weak I had been the day before.

"What stopped you?"

"The thought of Jillian dead or in pain from it. Just knowing what I would be doing to her, the ones her love her made me stop. I don't want her dead. I want her to live as long as she's able. Her life is more precious to me than anything," I answered in a more serious tone.

Carlisle looked at me and sort hmed to himself. I received his thoughts with clarity and was both excited and relieved at what they said. I smiled and thanked him for listening before returning to my piano. I played Esme's favorite song to pass the time a bit more before deciding to go for a quick hunt and a visit to Jillian's home. On my way out Alice began descending the stairs and smile at me.

"I know where you're going and why. Don't worry, tomorrow you'll get your chance to start a life with her," she said happily before heading to the living room.

I finally felt satiated enough around mid-night and headed straight for Jillian. I was growing more anxious with every step I took in her direction. Tomorrow I'd be in her presence again but now I found myself terrified. What do I say? I'd spent the better part of my existence keeping humans at a distance and rarely engaged in conversation with them. Now I'm going to have talk to the woman I'd fallen helplessly in love with. I made up the tree and onto the ledge without realizing how fast I had arrived outside her window. Again it was unlocked and open. I quietly pushed the window aside and stepped into the dark room. Jillian was lying on her side facing the window and her beauty made me pause to gaze at her. Her hands were curled up under her pillow and a few strands of her hair had fallen across her face. I knelt beside her and softly to the hair in my fingers and moved them back. I closed my eyes and committed another sensation to my growing memory bank of all things Jillian. Nothing felt softer than her hair and it took all my restraint to pull my hand back before the urge to run my hand through her hair and wake her took over. I watched over her sleeping form and thought back to my earlier conversation with Carlisle. I did indeed love her. Love had to be the only thing strong enough to keep my teeth from sinking into her pale skin. I admitted to myself as I looked at Jillian resting quietly that I did lust for her, but I knew even that feeling would never diminish with time. I would always burn and ache for her in every capacity I knew. I only prayed that someday she could feel at least an ounce of the same overwhelming emotions I was feeling now.


	6. Chapter 6: Love You Madly

A/N: Sorry for the wait but it was like one thing after another in my house. You shouldn't have to wait to long for the next chappie. Thanx to everyone reading and especially those who review.

Songs for this chapter:

"Love You Madly"-Cake

"Extraordinary"-Liz Phair

**EPOV **

Morning couldn't have come quick enough for me. Alice was grinning in the front seat while Jasper reclined in the back with a smirk on his face. I'd never felt this excited to go to school in decades, actually on the verge of giddy. I pulled into the school parking lot almost twenty minutes early so I'd be there when Jillian arrived. We got out of the car to wait casually, Alice and Jasper whispered couple type things while I leaned against the driver's side of my car, straining my already fine tuned hearing to its limits for the sound of Ginger's Navigator. With ten minutes till the bell rang, I heard her coming up the main street. I looked over at Alice to receive a smile and a wink before we gathered our things and began walking towards the school building. It took me spilling every thought and feeling I had towards Jillian to convince Alice to help me with a plan to speak to her. As I walked slowly by, Jillian emerged from the passenger side and proceeded to trip on the way out. I caught her just in time since I managed to be right there when it happened. The fall and catch I planned on, but what occurred after she was in my arms wasn't expected. The minute her eyes looked into mine, I momentarily forgot all the carefully planned out sentences in my head and only became aware of Jillian in all possible ways. Even though I was holding her very close, Jillian's eyes held no fear. Surprise, yes but no fear was seen. I took a breath to steady myself and found her wildflower scent had grown with my touch that carried on the sudden breeze that had come from nowhere. It felt like an eternity that I held her warm body near mine, my hands relishing the heat they received from touching her, but it wasn't long enough for me I found. Jillian recovered from her shock and instantly smiled at me which caused me to return one. Well, a crooked one since I was still reeling from holding her. I held her loosely as she righted herself but still hadn't removed my hands from her waist, but she hadn't removed her hands from my arms when she had grabbed me to keep from falling.

"Thanks. I wasn't looking forward to walking around the rest of the day with a busted up nose," she said in a breezy voice. She bit her lip as she released my arms and moved cautiously out of my grasp.

"Yeah, i-it was pretty lucky I was nearby," I said as lightly as I could. I was trying to hold back the sadness I felt over not having her in my arms anymore. And did I just stutter? I must have otherwise Jasper wouldn't be trying to hide back the laughter and thinking I was a moron.

Jillian still held her smile as she reached into the vehicle and retrieved her book bag. I was still lost in my own world when Jillian looked at me curiously.

"Was there something else you wanted? Or are you just blocking the door to be funny?" She asked in a joking manner. I choked a small sorry out and moved out of her way. Jillian turned to go when I called out to her.

"Wait, do you mind if I walk with you to class? Alice and your friend seem to be very involved in their conversation."

"Sure," she answered. I noticed a slight hesitation in her voice but her smile held. Still sweet and genuine.

We walked towards the campus, her right arm swinging freely, just millimeters from my left. It took enormous restraint not to reach out and hold her hand in mine. We were about halfway to her first class when I couldn't hold back the chuckles building up in me.

"What's so funny?" Jillian asked.

"Just a little inside joke. I'll tell you someday."

What really had me laughing was the absurdity the thoughts of most students in this school had. While Mike and Eric, along with a few other boys, were having thoughts of how to murder me so Jillian would belong to them, Jessica Stanley was having traitorous thoughts about the girl she called friend and how she was the one that should have been with me. Something that would never happen seeing as how Jessica had absolutely nothing of value to me. Physically or mentally. We arrived at the door to Jillian's first class and I looked down at her, trying to memorize how beautiful she looked standing in front of me.

"Well, this is me. Thanks again for saving my face from the pavement."

"It's no big deal. I'll save you a seat in Chemistry."

"Right," she said giggling as she turned and stepped into her class.

After a moment I walked to my own class, thinking of Jillian the whole way. I was anxious for Chemistry this afternoon so I could talk to her again. I wanted to know all I could about her and then I realized the middle of class was not the place. I doubted the teacher would just let us sit there and question each other without interruption. Inviting her to sit with my siblings at our table might intimidate her too much to open up in front of them. She might not have the natural fear response towards me, but Alice could be overwhelming. There was absolutely no way I was sitting with Jillian at her table. Mike would be dead within five minutes and the thought of Jessica pawing at me wasn't appealing at all. I was thinking of how I could invite her to sit with me without making such a public display, when my cell phone buzzed. A message from Alice told me what time to expect Jillian to walk through the cafeteria doors. I smiled to myself while slipping the phone back into my jacket.

At nine past twelve Jillian walked through the doors and made her way into the lunch line. I of course had again timed it so I fell into line directly behind her. Jasper had accidentally tripped up Newton in the hall giving me the moment I needed. I took a small step closer and was deciding what to say when her soft voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Well this is a first," she said turning to me with a smile, "I don't think I've ever seen you in the lunch line."

"I'm pretty quick so I get here a bit early," I replied nervously, my smile again becoming crooked.

"I've noticed," Jillian smirked.

She turned back and began gathering a few things for lunch. Most girls today took a salad or one item, Jillian had a four course meal on her tray followed up with water. I kept walking behind in silence till she reached the register when I took her tray. She looked at me surprised but followed me as I walked past her normal table and to an empty one a few feet away. Jillians look switched between curious and amused and I noticed the scent of wildflowers increased slightly. I needed to talk to Carlisle about vampires sense of smell failing. I placed her tray in the middle of the table and went to pull her chair out but she was already sitting before I could. I wasn't the only that was quick. I sat across from her as she began eating her fruit salad.

"You not eating again today?" she asked after her first bite.

"I might steal something of yours." I joked, "I'm not really a fan of school lunches."

"The ones here are better than most," Jillian replied thoughtfully, "Besides, I like to eat contrary to popular belief. School lunches aren't going to ruin my appetite."

"I'm curious as to how a small person can actually eat so much?"

"Fast metabolism. Unless you ask Jessica or that blonde next to her. They'll say I'm small because of an eating disorder they decided I have."

"I don't pay much attention to school gossip."

"Me either. So you got me here all by my lonesome. Something you wanted to ask?" She said looking right into my eyes and smiling mischievously.

"Yes. I wanted to ask about you," I said matching her smile. Her gaze never wavered.

"What about me?"

"Everything."

**JPOV**

That's how we started talking. Me nearly killing myself in the school parking lot and then him being interested in the amount of food I consumed had brought Edward Cullen to my side. An idea I never allowed myself to think much about, but it here it was Friday morning and I was practically bouncing in my seat from excitement. Ginger would have been more thrilled if it didn't feel like she had the air conditioner on full blast because of my little problem. I admitted to myself how aware I was of Edward even though I tried to play it off to those around me and just denied it blatantly to myself. I made the fact pretty known when we first had lunch together. He noticed too, since he became slightly nervous at first when I mentioned something I had observed. At first I thought I'd really screwed up, being the dork I am by seeming a tad stalkerish, but that fear was gone the minute he started asking about me. It's like he couldn't get enough information on me, even when I tried for ten minutes to even stall any curiosities about me. I claimed to be the queen of all dorks and warned him that he would be bored by the end of lunch. Edward took me up on my challenge and stayed interested throughout the conversation.

I did feel bad that I couldn't share my life completely, sometimes having to answer in half-truths. Like when I talked about my metabolism, it was very fast, but only because of how much energy I used in a day due to my powers and resulting side-affects. By Thursday our conversation began with him simply asking my favorite song and became an hour long discussion about music. Most people looked at me like a freak because of the music I listened too. You name, I've heard it and probably have it downloaded. No matter the decade or genre I couldn't help what I liked. We did have quite the serious discussion on why Edward should give Dr. Dre a chance. Before I knew it, Edward had become as close a friend as I could have without knowing my secret. The urges to push for more were battling within me, but so far I had won out and kept them extremely repressed. Not that Ginger was much help with her constant badgering about how I should ask him out and how she thought we were adorable together. Alice apparently agreed since she dropped hints about my having to come over for dinner soon.

Other people in my life weren't' so happy about mine and Edward's new friendship. Mike had become more annoying than I thought possible. Mike was finding anything he could to some how talk badly about Edward to me. I ignored him as usual, letting Mike run his mouth until he said something really stupid that would give me the excuse to cause him to be thrown against some lockers. The only ones that really got to me were Jessica and her friend Lauren, the blonde from the table. Lauren was the type of person I tried my hardest to stay away from. Just as fake on the inside as she was on the outside. Their hateful comments were directed at me and weren't subtle at all. Lauren somehow managed to push me to the edge the other day in Chemistry but not enough to worry me. I was calm by the time Edward and I had finished our assignments so he didn't notice the momentary anger.

Despite some negativity, everything in my life felt great, almost at peace. I was feeling normal for once. I was a normal girl with a normal school life. Lunch came and suddenly it all changed. Edward and I were sitting at the same table we had on Wednesday. Today was more casual conversation with questions thrown in. Edward didn't talk much about himself and certain questions were answered in the same manner as some of mine. I noticed the look of guilt and regret would creep up occasionally when talking about certain things. I didn't say anything, not wanting to bring attention to his answers in case Edward called me on mine. I wasn't being completely honest anyways so complaining about him holding something back would be hypocritical of me. Edward was sitting across from me as I ate staring at my neck, something he did often, when he spoke.

"Your necklace," he started.

"What about it?" I asked looking at my plate. Suddenly the pizza I was eating became hard to swallow.

"I was curious if it meant anything in particular."

I took a moment to calm myself before sadness and fear overtook me. I didn't want to flood the room with my emotions. I lifted my eyes to his, staring deep into the dark golden topaz. I could fall into those I eyes. I mentally shook myself and answered his questions.

"It was a gift from my grandmother. I got it when I was thirteen. It's the only thing I really have left of her," I answered quietly before lowering my eyes.

I clasped my hands together under the table, my head was low and I closed my eyes. I tried to hold the sadness back, the fear of what I was when I felt something cool and smooth against my cheek. I knew it was Edward's fingers as they moved softly down my face and under my chin. I opened my eyes as he titlted my head up to look at him.

"I'm sorry I upset you. I don't like seeing you this sad Jillian," he whispered.

He had leaned in when he spoke so our faces were mere inches apart. I couldn't look away. I felt my face flush and cool at the same time as the air in the room redirected itself at me once again. I was losing control in a room full of people and I didn't care. I wanted nothing more than at that moment to move in closer to Edward. The bell ringing snapped me out the spell that had been created. I jumped back almost knocking my seat over while Edward had retreated to his side of the table. I let out a shaky breath I had no idea I was holding. Edward stood up and moved to my side holding out his hand.

"I'll walk you to class," he said hoarsely.

**EPOV**

Being with Jillian was the best experience of my life. Logically I knew that this might not last nearly as long as I want it to, I just let myself enjoy the time I had with her. I had found out so much about her in the past two days, but still I felt like I hadn't learned enough. I could see in her eyes she was hiding something when I asked certain things. She didn't speak of her mother and barely made mention of the grandmother she had lived with the past nine years. I learned about some of her time in California and imagined her in the sun, laughing at the trouble her and Ginger got into. She called herself a dork but she was beautiful, quirky but in a good way as I listened to her talk about certain comic books and why Star Wars was so the best film trilogy ever made. Not including the recent additions she pointed out. I was surprised by her knowledge of music. Everything I could think of she had at least one favorite artist in the genre or year. I felt human when near her. I still went to her house to watch her sleep, listening for when Jillian would say my name in a loving whisper. And she did often throughout the night. Jillian mentioned that she would begin volunteering at the animal hospital/shelter this weekend. I fell in love with her more and more as time passed.

I was amused by the reactions of the students who'd been watching us the past two days. Ginger and Alice had decided we were in fact the perfect couple. Alice of course was worse about it, talking about what Jillian should wear to our wedding and so on. I tried to see if mine and Jillian's future remained together. But as Alice has said, it was blurry. Nothing solid, just a blending of colors and distorted faces. As much as Alice hated not being able to see where the future was leading, I liked it. For once I could pretend that the possibility of being with Jillian longer than a year or two was possible. Friday I awoke excited for the time I could spend by Jillian's side. Alice however seemed down as I drove to school. I asked what was wrong and knowing she couldn't see if Jillian was involved.

"I just feel this extreme anger. I don't know why but Jillian will be involved," Alice said somberly.

I tensed, gripping the steering wheel tightly as I thought of Jillian. I couldn't possibly get angry with her and hurt her. Could I?

"No Edward, you're not involved."

I the tension in me faded but the worry lingered on. Something was going to happen and nothing good if the emotion anger was part of it. I only knew of two people actually angry with Jillian, and that was Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory. While most of the girls had slightly envious thoughts, none were as venomous as what those two girls would think about or say. I knew Lauren had a few times said beyond rude things to Jillian but I was at the time in no position to say anything about it. Jillian never mentioned it so I couldn't bring it up. Explaining how I knew would be near impossible. During our conversations I realized how observant she was of me. All this time I had been watching her, I hadn't noticed her watching me as well. I was once again staring at her neck. I wanted to run my tongue along her throat and taste her as best I could. She shifted and the necklace she wore caught the light, making it glint at me.

I asked about it, wondering why it was so important to her that she never took it off. I wasn't about to admit that I knew she wore it even in her sleep. Jillian gave me her answer but I could tell there was more to it but her sorrowful demeanor made me not push for more. The air in the room changed quickly. It was like storm clouds had rolled in from the sea and it was about to rain down on us. I could taste the salty moisture surrounding me. Jillian was looking down at her plate when I touched her. I wanted to hold her close, comfort her in some way. The softness of her pale skin stirred unknown emotions in me. My heart would be beating at break neck speed if it still beat at all. Hers that already trembled slightly fast was rapid like a hummingbird's wings. I lifted her face up so I could look at her. Jillian's eyes were more blue and glistening with unshed tears. Tears I caused with a simple question. I never felt so guilty. I leaned in to whisper my apologies, breathing in the sweet flowery scent that had strengthened even more with my touch. Jillian's face flushed to a lovely pink shade while her the emotions changed form sad into something else. I was leaning forward, compelled by some unseen force, to kiss her when the bell rang. Jillian jumped back into her seat, almost falling over backwards. I took a moment to give us time to compose ourselves before standing and offering her my hand.

We walked to class in silence, her hand gently held in mine. I had forgotten about my cold skin, but she didn't shrink away. My fingers were warming as they remained intertwined with Jillian's. I reluctantly let go as we approached our lab table. I sat down, my eyes never leaving Jillian. Her sadness had faded and the infectious smile she had was once again in place. Whispers about us were buzzing around the room. Most were wondering if we were a couple and such. Only a few were horrendous to listen to, especially Lauren's. She was sitting two lab tables up and one over on Jillian's side. The things she was hissing to her lab partner were vile and I was found wishing I didn't possess such excellent hearing. My only consolation at this time was that Jillian hadn't seemed to hear any of it so far. While I could care less what others in this school thought of me, Jillian didn't need to listen to such loathsome things.

Mr. Braymer began calling us forward to gather equipment for our introductory experiment. Basically it was us dissolving colored salt in beakers over water over a Bunsen burner. This was the teacher's way of determining who was responsible enough to handle the science supplies before any actual labs were done. Jillian and I set everything up quickly and was following the teacher's instructions on checking the temperature and such when Lauren began her rant about how horrible a person Jillian could be. As if that were possible. Unfortunately, Lauren wasn't whispering so softly. Jillian could hear what was being said about her. Tension was etched in Jillian's face as she sat unmoving in her seat, hands clutching the sides of the chair. I sat staring at Jillian as her eyes remained focus on the beaker that was slowly turning form clear water to red. Her hands were gripping the chair tighter when I smelled it. The smell of a match being lit. Only this time it smelt like the whole pack had been lit, and the smell was growing stronger by the second. I was trying to look around the room as best I could without losing sight of Jillian. The smell was coming form the room and now the temperature was rising as well. The burners could not be doing this till I heard it. The barely audible sound in my ears of glass as it begins to weak. The tinkling sound was getting louder to me and still Jillian remained rigid, looking only at the beaker as Lauren's verbal assault continued. The moment Lauren began addressing Jillian's family, I saw it. Her eyes turning to steely grey as her body tightened, coiling up.

I had managed to pull Jillian back as the beaker exploded. I had felt the tension in her explode outward and saw half the beakers shatter. Glass and colored water splattered the room and several people. I looked at Jillian still immobile, almost completely white. I whispered her name, causing her to blink and then close her eyes. Her pale face resumed some color and her heart rate slowed. Her breathing was still jittery. Mr. Braymer was scrambling around trying to figure out why the beakers had broken. I nudged Jillian, still had her eyes closed. When she opened them, she gasped as she looked around the room. It was like she hadn't seen any of it happen.

"Are you okay Jillian?" I asked.

She started to open her mouth, but shut it just as quickly and grabbed her things. She rushed up to Mr. Braymer, saying something about needing to clean off with everyone else and hurried out the door. I grabbed my things and followed after her. Her scent didn't lead to the girl's restroom with the others but down the hall that lead to the parking lot. I found her sitting on the curb, shaking uncontrollably. She looked up as I sat down next to her.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

"Why are you apologizing? Its not your fault the lab equipment was faulty," I responded. As I said this, she tensed up. Jillian drew her arms tighter around herself and went back to looking ahead.

"Edward, you really shouldn't be around me," she whispered.

I was stunned. Where did this come from? How does what happened in the classroom factor into why we shouldn't be with each other?

"I don't care what Lauren or anyone else says about us Jillian," I said trying to reassure her. I wasn't going to lose the only thing I loved because of some gossiping witch.

"I could give a damn what that bitch says about me!" she shouted.

"It's normal to be angry with someone-"

"I'm not normal Edward!" Jillian shouted as she rose to her feet. I stood up and moved closer to her. I only had to lean an inch forward and our bodies would be touching.

"I don't care Jillian. I want to be with you. I know you want to be with me."

My eyes held hers for what felt like an eternity. Jillian's emotions were clearly on display. Want and guilt both present equally along with fear.

"I'm no good Edward. There's so much you don't know and are better off not ever knowing. Trust me, I'm not worth it. Don't waste you time."

I couldn't move. I heard a noise and knew Ginger was rushing towards us. Her thoughts trained on Jillian's well-being. Ginger was worried about what Jillian had done. Ginger grabbed her arm and both started running to the car. I remained frozen where I had stood, not realizing they were driving away till I heard the engine roar. I spun around to see Jillian's face in the passenger side window, tears started to stream down her face. She mouthed an I'm sorry before the Navigator turned and she was no longer in sight. That's when I realized it was raining. I wished I could cry and let my tears of heartbreak ingle with the storm that raged. In my heart and in the skies.


End file.
